Friday, April 20, 2012

Are You a Retrosexual?

Your girl Rogue has never been afraid to go retro, even referring to herself as a ‘housewife’ because, well, it most accurately describes her current life. But she was nevertheless surprised when she tuned into the series premiere of AMC’s Mad Men a few weeks ago only to witness the suave main character Don Draper fall for the most basic form of seduction from his hot new wife. No we're not talking about her prancing around at a party singing "Zou Bisou Bisou." Interestingly, he was turned off by that. After he gave her the cold shoulder, she resorted to the pouty get-on-your-knees-in-your-sexiest-bra-and-panties and-angrily-scrub-the-floor routine. Worked like a charm. Or let's just say he responded in a very manly way.

Rogue wonders if the male domination model really speaks to modern women. It sure seems so.

Among the most popular books out there today is Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, the first of three books about a young college coed who enters into a BDSM relationship with a wealthy older gentleman. This rich chap apparently likes to blur the lines between black and white with respect to the color of his ties as well as his, um, whips and chains. The press is referring to Fifty Shades as “mommy porn.” Why? Because that’s who’s reading this stuff! These women sit quietly on their commuter trains hiding behind the anonymity of their eReaders. Thanks to the invention of these little devices, women no longer need to remove or cover up their book jackets to keep others from observing their reading material.

Apparently, today’s women enjoy reading about or watching powerful men and submissive women. Given the strides women have made in terms of career and other forms of equality, you would think we’d see a little more progressive sexcapades on TV and in books. So the question is: Does this art really imitate life? Or do modern women merely fantasize about these retrosexual relationships?